Children adopted from Guatemala by St.Louisans, reconnecting with biological families

ST. LOUIS – The wave of St Louisans adopted from Guatemala many years ago are now finding their biological families back in their homeland.

It's a journey back to the beginning for them and for us as we went with a St. Louis family to Guatemala City 24 years ago to adopt their child.

These families never dreamed their now grown children would be able to facetime with their biological families in Guatemala but now they can.

The internet and home DNA testing kits are connecting families across the globe.

Abby and Dominic Weinrich are now 22 and 16 years old. They've grown up in St Louis and lived a life of riches compared to what their families in Guatemala now live. Both of their mothers gave them up because they couldn't afford to feed another child. Their families didn't even know they existed.

Most Guatemalan mothers who gave their children up for adoption told their relatives that their child died in childbirth.

Now they're able to talk with siblings on Facebook and donate money so they can buy groceries.

The Weinrich family plans to travel to Guatemala next summer to meet their relatives in person.

When we traveled there in 1994, many St. Louisans adopted from the third world country because it was faster and less risky than US adoptions. Children can no longer be adopted from Guatemala.

You watch Mandy Murphey's original reports on this story in the video below: